This is a perfect little greasy spoon type of place. The food was good and the service was great! Burgers, fries, curds. Delicious! Also fairly inexpensive.
Syler Sonnenberg
Very great restaurant. Amazing prices for great service and food! Old fashioned
Nikki Nahas
Late’s: A Nostalgic Name, But Nothing Worth Coming Late For
Tried Late’s for lunch and left wondering why this place is still in business—besides sheer stubbornness and locals with low standards.
Let’s start with the Maple Bacon Malt. Or should I say, Maple Bacon Milk. Thin, lukewarm, and flavorless—it had the consistency of Lake Michigan in July and none of the richness or thickness you’d expect from a malt. Clearly the Midwest needs a refresher on what that word means. This was not worth the ATM fee we had to pay since Late’s is inexplicably stuck in the Stone Age and doesn’t accept cards.
I also ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with cheese curds, and sadly, it was all downhill from there. The burger was bland and forgettable, the curds were underwhelming, and the portion sizes felt like a joke—especially when there are far better restaurants nearby serving twice the food and quality.
The cherry on top? The young waitress with long brownish-red hair (wish I caught her name) who served up a snooty attitude with a side of judgment. After leaving a 20% tip despite the poor experience, we got a scuzzy look instead of a simple “thank you.”
Overall, Late’s feels less like a retro gem and more like a tired diner clinging to a reputation it no longer deserves. Save yourself the cash-only hassle and go literally anywhere else.
Nicole D
OUTSTANDING local restaurant! The malts were top notch, the stuffed pepper soup was...WOW. I had the brat and my husband and daughter had the grilled ham and cheese - MUST GET THESE! I had the warm German potato salad was DELICIOUS! Can you tell we loved Late's?!
TESHOME TULU
Small place. Payment is only in cash or check- which is unusual
Suzanne Gierach
It was the first time my son and I ate here. My son goes to MLHS, and football training has started. I goggle mapped restaurants to find a place we haven't been before. I'm glad we found this place. This place has been around since 1948. They offer homemade soup and desserts. The prices are very reasonable. If you're looking for a good old-fashioned greasy spoon, this place is it! I noticed an old malt machine on the back counter. They have a sit-up bar to eat at. They don't take cards, yet there is an ATM available. I definitely suggest that if you are looking for an old-fashioned greasy spoon, this is one to try. I'm glad we made a stop here, and we will be back again. Oh, we brought home a torte and piece of chocolate cake. Can't wait to eat them. 😋
Robert Schuman
Burgers were fantastic. The staff was friendly and the place was clean. Nice old school feeling. The malts were great as well. I'm definitely going back if i get the chance
Lynn Hardtke
I want to leave a message saying I like chocolate peanut butter to if you have a couple leftover could you save them for me Lynn Hardtke thank you very much.
Joey Grochowski
2 Chicken dinners (lunch 4 pcs) w/ fries, Cole slaw & bread were good, fast delivery and reasonable prices mean I will definitely order again!
Lyam Shoup
The maple bacon shake and cheese curds omelet are life changers.
Always great food with good people. You want a great burger go here ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Deanna Deck
Delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hand Breaded Lake Perch, Award Winning Cheese Curds, Cheeseburger, Cheese Curds
Jim Cobb
My wife and I stopped at Late’s for lunch around 4PM or so earlier today. When we arrived, we were the only customers inside. Neither of the women behind the counter area acknowledged us in any way. We sat down at a table and the younger of the two women came over a few minutes later. I ordered a soda and my wife went with water. When the server came back with our drinks, my wife ordered a plain hamburger and fries, along with an order of cheese curds for us to split. I ordered the Two Piece Lunch, which was broasted chicken along with fries and coleslaw. We were warned that the chicken could take 15-20 minutes. I told her that wasn’t a problem.
About 10 minutes later, I could see one of the cooks put two small baskets on the back counter. The server milled about the area for quite a while before she finally grabbed one of them and brought it to our table. It was a basket of fries that apparently went with my wife’s burger, which arrived several minutes later. She also brought my plate and the cheese curds at that point.
My wife’s burger was thin and tasteless. The fries were undercooked. The cheese curds were meh. My chicken consisted of the smallest leg and thigh I’ve ever seen.
The server never checked in with us until I finally flagged her down to get to-go containers after we’d finished eating. No receipt, she just rattled off a total that I’m hoping was at least somewhat accurate. Now to be fair, they had a few takeout customers show up while we were eating, as well as a couple of guys at the counter. But between two servers and at least three guys in the kitchen, I’d hardly call it any sort of rush.
I’m honestly baffled at all of the positive reviews. They’re the reason we decided to stop at Late’s in the first place. Maybe they were just having a bad day, but we won’t be back. Quite honestly, it was one of the worst restaurant experiences we’ve had in years.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Paul Saulnier
A bit dated but who cares if you want a good soup .decent burgers and a nice coffee . Get a double burger if you want somethi g with subtance .patties are very thin but still ok . Fries are ok also but i have yet to find great fries in manitowoc everything around here that ive tried taste like they are frozen fries sadly . But for a good diner with decent food ,this place has it ! I will be going again to try other things on the menu . Did i mention good prices also.
Special Thanks to a great staff this is our third year coming the Thursday of 141 speedway’s special and we come in as a larger group for a small diner also with two young kids great job fast service amazing food we’ll be back
Kid-friendliness: We ordered soup for the kids and it was brought out almost in less then a minute to keep kids busy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Handmade Onion Rings, We Make Soup from Scratch Daily, Chilli
This is a perfect little greasy spoon type of place. The food was good and the service was great! Burgers, fries, curds. Delicious! Also fairly inexpensive.
Very great restaurant. Amazing prices for great service and food! Old fashioned
Late’s: A Nostalgic Name, But Nothing Worth Coming Late For
Tried Late’s for lunch and left wondering why this place is still in business—besides sheer stubbornness and locals with low standards.
Let’s start with the Maple Bacon Malt. Or should I say, Maple Bacon Milk. Thin, lukewarm, and flavorless—it had the consistency of Lake Michigan in July and none of the richness or thickness you’d expect from a malt. Clearly the Midwest needs a refresher on what that word means. This was not worth the ATM fee we had to pay since Late’s is inexplicably stuck in the Stone Age and doesn’t accept cards.
I also ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with cheese curds, and sadly, it was all downhill from there. The burger was bland and forgettable, the curds were underwhelming, and the portion sizes felt like a joke—especially when there are far better restaurants nearby serving twice the food and quality.
The cherry on top? The young waitress with long brownish-red hair (wish I caught her name) who served up a snooty attitude with a side of judgment. After leaving a 20% tip despite the poor experience, we got a scuzzy look instead of a simple “thank you.”
Overall, Late’s feels less like a retro gem and more like a tired diner clinging to a reputation it no longer deserves. Save yourself the cash-only hassle and go literally anywhere else.
OUTSTANDING local restaurant! The malts were top notch, the stuffed pepper soup was...WOW. I had the brat and my husband and daughter had the grilled ham and cheese - MUST GET THESE! I had the warm German potato salad was DELICIOUS! Can you tell we loved Late's?!
Small place. Payment is only in cash or check- which is unusual
It was the first time my son and I ate here. My son goes to MLHS, and football training has started. I goggle mapped restaurants to find a place we haven't been before. I'm glad we found this place. This place has been around since 1948. They offer homemade soup and desserts. The prices are very reasonable. If you're looking for a good old-fashioned greasy spoon, this place is it! I noticed an old malt machine on the back counter. They have a sit-up bar to eat at. They don't take cards, yet there is an ATM available. I definitely suggest that if you are looking for an old-fashioned greasy spoon, this is one to try. I'm glad we made a stop here, and we will be back again. Oh, we brought home a torte and piece of chocolate cake. Can't wait to eat them. 😋
Burgers were fantastic. The staff was friendly and the place was clean. Nice old school feeling. The malts were great as well. I'm definitely going back if i get the chance
I want to leave a message saying I like chocolate peanut butter to if you have a couple leftover could you save them for me Lynn Hardtke thank you very much.
2 Chicken dinners (lunch 4 pcs) w/ fries, Cole slaw & bread were good, fast delivery and reasonable prices mean I will definitely order again!
The maple bacon shake and cheese curds omelet are life changers.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheese Curds
Restaurantji Recommends
Always great food with good people. You want a great burger go here ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Hand Breaded Lake Perch, Award Winning Cheese Curds, Cheeseburger, Cheese Curds
My wife and I stopped at Late’s for lunch around 4PM or so earlier today. When we arrived, we were the only customers inside. Neither of the women behind the counter area acknowledged us in any way. We sat down at a table and the younger of the two women came over a few minutes later. I ordered a soda and my wife went with water. When the server came back with our drinks, my wife ordered a plain hamburger and fries, along with an order of cheese curds for us to split. I ordered the Two Piece Lunch, which was broasted chicken along with fries and coleslaw. We were warned that the chicken could take 15-20 minutes. I told her that wasn’t a problem.
About 10 minutes later, I could see one of the cooks put two small baskets on the back counter. The server milled about the area for quite a while before she finally grabbed one of them and brought it to our table. It was a basket of fries that apparently went with my wife’s burger, which arrived several minutes later. She also brought my plate and the cheese curds at that point.
My wife’s burger was thin and tasteless. The fries were undercooked. The cheese curds were meh. My chicken consisted of the smallest leg and thigh I’ve ever seen.
The server never checked in with us until I finally flagged her down to get to-go containers after we’d finished eating. No receipt, she just rattled off a total that I’m hoping was at least somewhat accurate. Now to be fair, they had a few takeout customers show up while we were eating, as well as a couple of guys at the counter. But between two servers and at least three guys in the kitchen, I’d hardly call it any sort of rush.
I’m honestly baffled at all of the positive reviews. They’re the reason we decided to stop at Late’s in the first place. Maybe they were just having a bad day, but we won’t be back. Quite honestly, it was one of the worst restaurant experiences we’ve had in years.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
A bit dated but who cares if you want a good soup .decent burgers and a nice coffee . Get a double burger if you want somethi g with subtance .patties are very thin but still ok . Fries are ok also but i have yet to find great fries in manitowoc everything around here that ive tried taste like they are frozen fries sadly . But for a good diner with decent food ,this place has it ! I will be going again to try other things on the menu . Did i mention good prices also.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Handmade Onion Rings, Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Bacon Cheeseburger
Special Thanks to a great staff this is our third year coming the Thursday of 141 speedway’s special and we come in as a larger group for a small diner also with two young kids great job fast service amazing food we’ll be back
Kid-friendliness: We ordered soup for the kids and it was brought out almost in less then a minute to keep kids busy
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Handmade Onion Rings, We Make Soup from Scratch Daily, Chilli
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